Thursday, September 5, 2019

I’m Rivka, your new blog
host (or “blah ghost” if you could stand to work on your diction). I’ll be
offering a new blog post each month, so be sure to check back in!

For my first foray into the land of blogging (Lord
help us all – I welcome the brave among you to join me on this learning curve
of discovery!), I knew exactly what I wanted to share with you. It’s a topic
near and dear to my heart, and I’m very proud of what the Tavern made available
to our community. In the interest of full disclosure, this first blog is quite
a bit longer than I’ll typically be writing, but it’s a topic of tremendous
importance and impact on the local theatrical community. So, dear reader,
enjoy!

INTIMACY DIRECTION WORKSHOP

hosted at the

SHAKESPEARE TAVERN PLAYHOUSE

This past June, the Atlanta Shakespeare Company was
host to a group of trained instructors from Intimacy Directors International,
described on their website as a non-profit organization “pioneering the best
practices for theatrical intimacy, simulated sex and performance nudity for
theatre, TV and film”. Our instructors were Dan Granke, Certified Intimacy
Director and IDI Lead Instructor, Jessica Bennet, Intimacy Coordinator in training
with IDI, and Ash Anderson, Intimacy Director/Coordinator training under IDI.

Theater artists came from as far as 100 miles away
to attend this Atlanta premier event, coordinated by Tavern Education Staff
member Andrew Houchins. There were two workshops offered, one geared toward the
actor and one toward the director. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to
attend both, and to learn (among other things) about the broader definitions of
consent, how to appropriately request consent, and how to gracefully move
forward depending on the answer given.

One of the exercises that most fascinated me was titled,
“How to create chemistry with anybody in 5 minutes”, in which randomly-paired
partners were guided through a series of imagined scenarios: one partner’s unrequited
desire for the other, grief that the partner did not return that desire, a plot
twist in which the partners’ positions were reversed, and finally, a rekindled and
mutual desire felt by both parties. (This is a great simplification of what was
actually a very powerful exercise.) The most important part was that, after
this purposefully-adopted passion was experienced by both partners, we were
guided in how to smoothly disengage from the imagined scenario, shake hands,
and return to a safe and neutral relationship with our work colleague. It was
the perfect answer to the question, “But how do I create the necessary passion
onstage without it accidentally bleeding into our offstage relationship…or risking
misinterpretation by the other actor?”

Another personal favorite was a way of codifying
body language and gesture in order to most appropriately tell the story. For
this exercise, we categorized embraces on a scale of 1-10, once again using guided,
imagined scenarios. For example, “Coworkers offering a moderate greeting at the
office Christmas party” might be designated a “3”, with a “side hug” in which
the fronts of the bodies did not connect. Slightly more friendly coworkers
might embrace at a “4”, with collarbones touching, but anything below the ribs
kept at a respectful distance, and with a duration of only one or two seconds. However,
“Greeting a very close friend or relative at the airport after a long absence”
might be more like an “8”, in which not only might full body contact occur, but
in which the hug might last for 10-15 seconds, and might involve swaying back
and forth together or cheeks being pressed tightly together. Being able to
break down an embrace into quantifiable attributes -- such as duration, amount
of contact, and hand position -- is both an important part of storytelling and
a way for artists to clarify and choreograph the embrace to ensure comfort and safety
between the storytellers.

In preparing to write this blog, I had the
opportunity to speak with Ash Anderson, whom Tavern audiences may remember seeing
as the young Prince Richard in 2017’s Richard
the Third, and Kristin Storla, whom Tavern-goers will recall most recently
as Mercutio in 2018’s Romeo and Juliet.
At present, Ash is the only IDI-trained Intimacy Director in Atlanta; Kristin
is the only Intimacy Choreographer with IDI training.

Rivka:
Firstly, Ash, what is the difference between an Intimacy Director and an
Intimacy Coordinator?

Ash:
“There are tiers of IDI much like the SAFD [Society of American Fight
Directors]. Certified Intimacy Directors are at the top. Intimacy Director
means you have the training and experience to take on that title and are
working towards Certification within the Program. Intimacy Choreographer means
you have some experience within the Pedagogy.”

Rivka:Thank you for explaining that.Kristin, why do you think the Tavern was the
right place to host the workshops?

Kristin:
“The Tavern is a great host for this workshop (and hopefully more!) as we have
a long standing reputation in the Atlanta market. To take the reins and adopt
this practicum for our artists keeps us progressing into a new era of
awareness. What a great opportunity to add a fresh level of safety to what can
be seen as dusty text/work! I've personally seen and heard of incidents wherein
actors weren't in control and fully aware in moments of heightened physical
contact. I feel proud and relieved knowing the Tavern is now tackling these
issues and allowing a specialist to craft these scenes through the director's
vision.”

Rivka:I’m so glad to hear that! Ash and
Kristin, can you please tell our readers your personal thoughts on why ID is important?
What are some of the more common ways it’s being used?

Ash:
“[The website sums it up perfectly:] We believe that scenes of intimacy must be
handled in a professional manner that adheres to the highest standards of
artistry and safety, whether that be on stage or on set. Intimacy Directors
International utilizes The Pillars as a standard for simulated intimacy. The
choreography of these scenes must accurately tell the characters' stories, as
intended by the writer through the interpretation of the director and the
actors involved while respecting the physical and psychological safety of all.”

Kristin adds that Intimacy Direction is important
because it “strengthens storytelling while keeping an artists' physical and
emotional health a priority”, and that the desire to keep a scene passionate
and “real” can lead to trauma.

Kristin:
“Think of a fight scene; one particular move bruises an actor. Maybe not
terribly, but after the repetition of rehearsal and performance, what was once
a small bruise has grown deeper. Now apply that pain to an artists' emotional
and psychological health,” as might happen in a play where scenes involving
sexual intimacy or abuse might cause internal trauma. “In an age of growing
awareness, empowerment, and empathy, the work of [an Intimacy Director or Choreographer]
helps to carry that care over into theatre/film.”

Rivka:Kristin,I understand that The Three
Musketeers, opening this weekend, was our first time utilizing an Intimacy Choreographer during the rehearsal process. I’ll lay
out some context for our readers, after which, I’d love to hear your thoughts
on what you and the artists discovered as part of that process.

For context, readers, the inclusion of an Intimacy Choreographer wasn’t an out-of-the-blue procedural decision. As a company, we
have been making our way toward adopting this practice, beginning with our having
formally adopted the Chicago Theater Standards as company-wide policy,
applicable both to the art and to our administrative practices.

While attending the international Shakespeare
Theater Association conference, our Board Chair, Cheryl Davis, came to learn
about the Chicago Theater Standards. The Standards are described by their
website as, 'a voluntary tool for self-governance that seeks to nurture
communication, safety, respect, and accountability of participants at all
levels of theatrical production. Its mission is to create spaces free of
harassment, whether it be sexual, or based in race, gender, religion, ethnic
origin, color, or ability. Theatres [adopting them] strengthen the safety net
in their theatres, and provide a process for response without reprisal.'

These codified standards were specifically created
for the theatrical community, where actions that constitute bullying, sexual
harassment, and appropriate paths for conflict resolution can be more vague
than in traditional corporate organizations. At the start of our 2019/2020 Season,
we formally adopted the Standards, identified paths through which concerns may
be addressed, and created a structure of consequences for infractions. That
company-wide standard having been set, it was only natural to take the leap to
inclusion of an Intimacy Choreographer as part of our rehearsal process.

Three Musketeers was an ideal show for which to
initiate this inclusion, as many of its scenes involve, in Kristin’s words, “romantic
and sexually-charged” moments. In order to create trust and comfort for the
actors in these scenes, Kristin choreographed the moments of intimacy the same
way one might choreograph the violence: each move is planned, the timing of it dictated
by the choreographer, and both actors knowing ahead of time what the moment
will look like each and every night. The intended result is that -- while the
passion may look real and spontaneous and abandoned from an audience’s
perspective -- there are no questions in the actors’ minds about whether an
intimate touch or kiss will be changed without their consent, or mistaken for
something more personal than professional. Everyone remains safe because the touch,
and even the exact placement and duration of that touch, has been worked out in
the rehearsal hall.

Kristin:
“It’s
been very enlightening to work with these different actors on how we tell those
stories for each character and for each actor, keeping their consent and safety
and well-being in mind. The script and the choice of casting gives permission
for these artists to tell those specific stories, but it’s always a negotiation
on how we interpret those for the stage. I’m very excited for the work that we’ve
done.”

Rivka:
I can’t wait to see the product of all your hard work! Last question for both
of you: what do you see as the future of ID/IC?

Ash:
“I cannot speak for the founding members of IDI, but the future, in my eyes, [is
for the community to acknowledge] Intimacy Directors [as being as necessary] in
the theatre process and the theatre community as we do Fight Directors or Stunt
Coordinators for film.”

Kristin:
“IDI's exposure has blown up over the past few years. I believe 'intimacy
direction/choreography' is no longer a buzzword but a culture shift that
theatres across Atlanta (and internationally) will embrace. I personally have
found a strong voice through this work. Previously I've felt coerced and
mistreated by directors and scene partners alike. I no longer accept staged
contact without breaking it down to its contextual essence. The 'why' of it
all. Advocating for myself has allowed me to make stronger choices as an actor
and hone my aesthetic as a director. I aim to teach my peers, mentors, and
younger artists alike how to voice their own self-autonomy in artistry.”

----

Readers, thanks for joining me on this, my maiden
voyage into blogging! If you have a topic you’d like me to write about, please
drop me a line at rivkalevin@shakespearetavern.com.
If you’d like to read more about IDI, head over to their website at www.teamidi.org.

Until next time, “When I am forth, bid me farewell,
and smile” - Coriolanus